KTRU shows 6.24.08 and 7.1.08

Mercy. Between traveling and trying to open a new study, I’ve had little time to keep up with posting my radio shows. But see? I posted my last two shows for you, and only you.

7.1.08

time- artist / song [album]
06:57 PM- the tontons / syrup [sea and stars EP] on the esthetic noise label. One of Houston’s local fovorites, The Tontons combine lounge, psychedelic rock and one heck of a sultry vocalist. The drummer is only 17! Cute overload!
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06:53 PM- james pants / we’re through [welcome] on the stones throw label. A Krautrock disco hip-hop mashup. Bombastic and great fun.
06:50 PM- stone baby / squall lines [fully render(ed)/cloud/s] on the carbon label.
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06:45 PM- groove collective / mambomongo [people people music music] on the savoy jazz label.
06:41 PM- fite, tim / trouble [fair ain't fair] on the anti label.
06:38 PM- sunnyland slim / the devil is a busy man [long tall daddy with big time sarah] on the arcola records label.
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06:33 PM- siegel, sabrina / ring [grace/precarious] on the pax label.
06:28 PM- the lines / over the brow [memory span] on the acute records label. Dancey post-punk with horns. Some people might call it pretentious
06:26 PM- spazzmodics / jhoba [vermin perm] on the dual plover label.
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06:24 PM- the fucking ocean / multiply! [le main rouge] on the double negative records label. Bay Area faves delivering punky tracks with strong bass hooks and driving percussion. I think this will make all those hippies in SF dance like hipsters…erm, that is, if hipsters danced.
06:20 PM- squadra di bell canto / il bel mazzolino [ethnic music classics: 1925-48] on the yazoo label.
06:13 PM- cheb i sabbah / qalanderi [devotion] on the six degrees label.
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06:07 PM- the roots / ain’t sayin nothin new [clean album] on the mca records label.
06:05 PM- power pill fist / sagadraga [kongmanivong] on the graveface label. Owners of Ataris and Nintendos will recognize some of the samples here, which are mixed with distorted tones and fuzz to coalesce into something resembling neo-Krautrock. Rawk.
06:01 PM- perseph1/ andaccelerator / black hole on the wall [patients of timeless minds] on the self-released label.
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05:56 PM- the knife / we share our mothers’ health [silent shout] on the rabid label. Groovy, bouncey electronic bass and vocorders from Swedish sibling duo Karin and Olof Dreijer. Just thinking, could there be a more Swedish name than “Olof”?
05:49 PM- quantic feat tempo / sabor [latino nuevo] on the rough guide label.
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05:44 PM- love camp 7 / moving toward byzantium [where the green ends] on the bowlmor records label.
05:40 PM- the pines / light under the door [sparrows in the bell] on the red house records label.
05:37 PM- starlight gospel singers / oh lord i’m so glad I got good religion [classic african american gospel] on the smithsonian folkways label

6.24.08

time- artist / song [album]
06:59 PM- the yah mos def / new direction [excuse me, this is the yah mos def] on the my pal god records label.
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06:55 PM- lama gyurme and jean-philippe rykiel / sacred words of liberation [vajra chants] on the realworld label.
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06:48 PM- la drivers union por por group / otsokobila [por por: honk horn music from ghana] on the smithsonian folkways label. The La Drivers Union is an ensemble of Ghanan drivers who create music from their car horns, and also by banging on the sides of their cars or whatever else is handy. I would LOVE to see this happen on I-45 during rush hour.
06:46 PM- arborea / dark is the night (in the wind) [s/t] on the fire museum label.
06:44 PM- belle and sebastian / winter wooskie [legal man] on the matador label.
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06:35 PM- furt plus / solution E [equals] on the psi label.
06:30 PM- konono no. 1 / kule kule [live at couleur cafe] on the crammed disc label.
06:24 PM- gil scott heron / message to the messengers [spirits] on the tvt records label. Spoken word, spare percussion and prominent plucky bass line. Considered by some to be the granddaddy of rap and hip hop, Gil Scott Heron has a message: Young rappers, clean up your act, dig?
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06:22 PM- steve treatment / tempest fashion baby [messthetics #102: diy '78-81, pt. 2] on the hyped2death label.
06:17 PM- cat power / wild is the wind [the covers record] on the matador label. Charlyn Marshall delivers a sparse cover of the Johnny Mathis song. It’s just her and the piano, lonely, plaintive and beautiful.
06:15 PM- jad fair / starry eyes [monarchs] on the shock records label.
06:12 PM- jay cloidt / karoshi [kole kat krush] on the starkland label. Jay Cloidt is a pianist who uses samples and electro in his compositions. In this piece, snippets of recognizable melodies emerge here and there from thick bass, buzzes and jangly bells.
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06:02 PM- shackleton / hypno angel [skull disco: sound punishments] on the skull disco label.
05:57 PM- cloudland canyon / lie in light [lie in light] on the kranky label. Described as comfortably avant garde, so go ahead and stretch your ears a bit. This piece is lush, swirly and staticky. Possibly a UFO from the 1950s is hovering nearby.
05:53 PM- dirtbombs / 21st centruy fox [dangerous magical noise] on the in the red label.
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05:47 PM- julius hemphill sextet / the hard blues [black saint/soul note critic's pick sampler (vol. 2)] on the black saint/soul note label.
05:40 PM- antimc / or I may just dream (my life away) [It's free but it's not cheap] on the mush records label. Matthew Alsberg plays nearly every instrument on this album himself. Overachiever. This downtempo track features disembodied vocals and plenty of glitch. Makes me want to lounge on an oddly shaped couch while sipping a drink made with an herb infused liquor.
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05:37 PM- electric six / fabulous people [I shall exterminate everything] on the metropolis label. Crunchy beats and lots of Little Richard-esque hollerin’ about celebrities. WHOOOO-HOOOO!
05:34 PM- minny pops / dolphin’s spurt [drastic measures drastic movement] on the LTM label.
05:30 PM- fenaison / interrelations C [plat] on the actuellecd label

I <3 NY and I2Y

If you follow my twitter feed you could guess I just got back from a trip to New York City. I haven’t been since I was about 10, so I don’t remember anything about it except that Rockefeller Center smells like urine and roasted chestnuts in the winter. Oh yeah, and a homeless guy told me and my little sister that we had to “do it all before the worms getcha”. It took me many years to understand how wise this man was.

The highlights of my trip were watching the fireworks over the Brooklyn Bridge, meeting Matt Zachary (founder of I’m Too Young For This), a Manhattan Margarita, the media wing at the MoMA, and of course laughing at the insanity of my favorite Brooklynite, noneck noel.

My brunch with Matt Zachary at Junior’s was exciting. We talked at length about I’m Too Young For This, a young adult cancer survivor advocacy group that he started when he realized there was little to nothing out there for people ages 18-40 who have been diagnosed with cancer. I2Y (for short) is all over the intertubes on twitter, facebook, youtube and myspace. Matt’s take on cancer advocacy is fresh, hip and irreverent, and it resonates with many who have battled the disease, not just young adults. I represented I2Y at the Survivorship Houston even in June and people loved the message “Stupid Cancer. Survivors Rule.” My Stupid Cancer T-shirt was coveted by many, but unfortunately I couldn’t sell them at the event. (Houston peeps: If you are interested in your very own, direct message me on twitter and I can score one for ya for no shipping)

What I love about I2Y is that it connects young folks with cancer to one another through many different channels. For example, during the weekly radio show listeners can participate in a chat room and comment on the topics being discussed. On the website there is a list of resources right on the front page that include the young adult blogosphere, scholarships and financial aid, coping literature, excusions and retreats, and online social networks.

Matt and the volunteers at I2Y are doing some amazing work to promote the causes of young adult survivors and those living with cancer. I’m excited to be a part of this!

KTRU Show 6.17.08

Tons of music is coming out of Brooklyn. I can’t swing a fanny pack and not hit a CD by a group based there.

06:57 PM- magic i.d., the / martin fierro [till my breath gives out] on the erstwhile label.
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06:53 PM- david berger and the sultans of swing / i dont hurt anyone [hinduystan] on the such sweet thunder label.
06:50 PM- caspa and rusko / benga and coki - knight [fabriclive 37] on the fabric label.
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06:47 PM- gonzales, babs / these new york neighbors [movement soul volume 2] on the esp disk label.
06:43 PM- I am the world trade center / soiree [the tight connection] on the kindercore label.
06:40 PM- inkblot / soapy [love your mother] on the audio dregs label. A blippy dance track from Austin-based Jeremy Ballard. Try as I might, I could not find a band page for Inkblot that included Jeremy Ballard. These guys are on myspace, but Jeremy isn’t listed under band members.
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06:34 PM- cursillistas / mocassin tramp [wasp stings the last bitter flavor] on the digitalis recordings label.
06:29 PM- jandek / i’ll send a thought out floating [brooklyn wednesday] on the corwood industries label.
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06:26 PM- black lips / everybody’s doing it [let it bloom] on the in the red records label. 60s garage revivalists the Black Lips are channeling the Kinks here, with some pretty sweet guitar hooks. I’m just thinking, what is it about Georgia that produces so many 60s garage revival artists? Hmmmm…
06:21 PM- awesome color / ridin’ [s/t] on the ecstatic peace label.
06:17 PM- no age / semi-sorted [weirdo rippers] on the fat cat label. This CD is a compilation of tracks previously available only on vinyl. Own it and watch your cred skyrocket. No Age is a lo fi duo from LA. On this track poppy vocals are overtaken by abrasive guitar and thumping drum. 
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06:11 PM- terry riley / the chord of death [chanting in the light of foresight] on the new albion label.
06:07 PM- siecox / come to [noisy folk] on the sabrina siegel/phronimos label.
06:04 PM- deerhoof / days and nights in the forest [reveille] on the kill rock stars label.
06:02 PM- down by law / haircut [punkrockacademyfightsong] on the epitaph label.
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05:57 PM- fite, tim / more clothes [fair ain't fair] on the anti label. Genre hopping Brooklynite Tim Fite bounces around from rap to rock to honky tonk and it’s always fun. This track is a medium paced rump shaker with whistles and chants. Oh, and he says something about wiping the mustard off your titty, which amuses the 12 year old boy side of my personality.
05:53 PM- the rapture / confrontation [out of the races and onto the tracks] on the sub pop label.
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05:50 PM- gibby haynes and his problem / superman [s/t] on the surfdog label. Also based in Brooklyn, the legendary madman fronting the Butthole Surfers put forth a solo effort that just didn’t do it for me. Why am I highlighting this? Because one of my friends told me he has started a school of rock and is teaching little kids how to play. Right on.
05:43 PM- beau jocque / boogie chillun [rough guide to zydeco] on the world music network label.
05:40 PM- drakkar sauna / katie dear [wars and tornados] on the marriage label.
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05:36 PM- the homosexuals / you’re not moving the way you’re supposed to [an introduction to astral glamour] on the hyped 2 death label. Purveyors of the finest in UK DIY, Hyped2Death has put together this 3 disc set of the masters of DIY. If’n you are curious about post punk this is a good place to start.
05:31 PM- vienna art orchestra / h.m. blues [a notion in perpetual motion] on the hat hut records label.
05:28 PM- electric set, the / out of your mind [real magic] on the girlgang label. This is the solo project of Houstonian Brandon Davis (of Indian Jewelry). The Electric Set is based out of Brooklyn (of course) and if you beat it out of me I would describe them as “experimental rock”. This track is a catchy fusion of noisy and “dancey”, as we KTRUvians like to say.

Young Survival Coalition Supports Young Women Facing Breast Cancer

I was thrilled to meet volunteers from The Young Survival Coalition at Survivorship Houston on June 1. The work this organization is doing is so important and I want to spread the word about them. Their mission is to promote awareness and advocacy for young women diagnosed with breast cancer. According to the 2000 US census, over 250,000 women under the age of 40 are currently living with breast cancer, and the disease is the number one cause of cancer death in women ages 15 to 54 (from the National Cancer Institute Fact Book). In spite of these numbers, young women and their doctors are often unaware that breast cancer may pose a risk and even if they are aware there are few effective screening tests for women under 40. This often leads to a late diagnosis of cancer in younger women, which in turn causes a worse prognosis for the disease. The Young Survival Coalition aims to promote awareness of these issues through advocacy not only to young women but to the medical and legislative communities as well.

At the national level, The Young Survival Coalition helps young women with breast cancer to connect with other survivors and get information regarding insurance and treatment through the ResourceLink Guidebook. Caregivers and those interested in prevention can also benefit from the information in the Guidebook. If you know you have a history of breast cancer in your family it certainly doesn’t hurt to educate yourself about the disease, so I encourage you to take a look at the Guidebook.

Here in Houston, The Young Survival Coalition has teamed up with The Rose to provide a support group for women under 40 who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. The meet the 2nd Monday of each month 5:45-7:30 at the Rose Center, 3400 Bissonnet, Suite 185. More information about this group and all the support groups offered by The Rose can be found here.

Image: youngsurvival.org

KTRU shows…Playing Catch Up

Lots o’ craziness in my life lately, so I haven’t put up the setlists in about a month. I get lazy towards the end, but my picks are in green. Hey guess what? You can totally google them and get the same info I link to when I’m not sucking. Sorry it’s so long, don’t feel compelled to scroll through the whole thing. Like you would any way

6.3.08

time- artist / song [album]

06:54 PM- carolina chocolate drops / sourwood mountain [dona got a ramblin' mind] on the music maker label.
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06:47 PM- sunset / man’s heart complaint [bright blue dream] on the autobus records label. This is Bill Baird’s (founding member of Sound Team) new project. I was lucky to see Sound TEam play their last show ever at ACL last year…OK the show was awful because the sound guy didn’t know what he was doing and you couldn’t hear any guitar. Really?!? I guess they’ll hire any one to run sound at ACL (note to self!). This song is probably the strongest on the album. Interestingly, most of the members of the now defunct Sound Team contribute.
06:45 PM- animals & men / car crash blues [revel in the static] on the hyped2death label.
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06:40 PM- yuganaut / channeling [this musicship] on the esp-disk label.
06:35 PM- lee scratch perry / i am new yorker [the end of an american dream] on the megawave label.
06:29 PM- ted leo and pharmacists / la costa brava [living with the living] on the touch and go label. Indie pop rock, really the best of this genre imho. And they played at Rice a few years ago, which gives them a special place in drmiggy’s heart.
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06:26 PM- various / ada-ada srambahan srepegan nem [shadow music of java] on the rounder label.
06:23 PM- price, connie / tell me something feat. aloe blacc [tell me something] on the ubiquity label. Modern soul with a smattering of reggae. Smoov.
06:20 PM- last poets / mean machine [this is madness] on the restless records label.
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06:14 PM- various / Dry Rib-quail Seed [technicolor yawn: kvrx local live vol. 12] on the kvrx label.
06:11 PM- lemon jelly / 95 aka make things right ['64-'95] on the xl recordings label. Each song on this album samples music taken from the year indicated in the song title, and the album title references this as well. This particular track was bouncy with plenty of acoustic guitar set against samples from ‘95.
06:05 PM- basement boys / gotta hold on [mudfoot jones] on the savoy label. Mudfoot Jones doesn’t really exist, he’s just a figment of the Basement Boys imagination. BTW if you’re name is Mudfoot Jones and you are reading this I apologize for the misinformation. This track was pretty solid, dancey electropop with soulful vocals and horns.
06:00 PM- ray barretto / manha de carnaval [ritmo afro-cubano] on the fantasy records label.
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05:50 PM- grosse abfahrt / the lack americans connected what disappears [everything that disappears] on the emanem label.
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05:45 PM- aphex twins [requested] / come to daddy (mummy remix) [come to daddy] on the sire label.
05:40 PM- hasidic new wave / men trinkt mashke (people drink whiskey) [psycho semetic] on the knitting factory label.
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05:34 PM- L.A. tool and die / 1983 (the year that corey hart exploded in my pants) [fashion for the evildoer] on the aaj records label.
05:30 PM- magic i.d., the / feet deep [till my breath gives out] on the erstwhile label

5.27.08

I had to leave early this night to attend a prior commitment
time- artist / song [album]

06:32 PM- Danny Collet / J’menui de toi [cajun music the essential collections] on the rounder heirtage label.
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06:28 PM- arborea / dark is the night in the wind [s/t] on the fire museum label. Husband and wife duo create freefolk with plucky banjo and breathy vocals.
06:25 PM- hunter, charlie and bobby previte / submarine canyon [altitude] on the thirsty ear label.
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06:21 PM- boris / statement [smile] on the southern lord label. Heavy rockin’ Japanese trio Boris’ last few album have received critical acclaim from SPIN, Blender and Pitchfork. While this album is a bit “mainstream” in comparison to earlier works, I wouldn’t count on Boris “selling out”. They are still fond of capitalizing their name to denote more mainstream work and using lowercase (Boris or boris) to denote experimental pieces. Maintaining that convention indicates to me that Boris intends to continually draw on their experimental roots.
06:18 PM- various / run mary run [african congregational singing] on the smithsonian folkaways label.
06:14 PM- dj spooky / rekonstruction (rhyme and reason mix) [subliminal minded the e.p.] on the bar none label.
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06:10 PM- no age / semi-sorted [weirdo rippers] on the fat cat label.
06:09 PM- julie doiron / don’t wanna be/liked by you [woke myself up] on the jagjaguwar label.
06:05 PM- slavic soul party / bride’s song [bigger] on the barbes label.
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06:00 PM- DJ honda / when you hot you hot feat NO I.D. and dug infinite [HII] on the relativity label.
05:55 PM- shape shifter / pietroglyph [s/t] on the synergy music label.
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05:48 PM- bee vs. moth / my nephew raymond [soundhorn] on the aggraveire music label.
05:43 PM- disco inferno / in sharky waters [d.i. go pop] on the bar none label

5.13.08

time- artist / song [album]

06:53 PM- the pines / light under the door [sparrows in the bell] on the red house records label.
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06:49 PM- the sugarman three / promised land [pure cane sugar] on the daptone records label.
06:48 PM- dual / sin is plenty [destroy all improv] on the toast and jam label.
06:42 PM- Ella Fitzgerald / fine and mellow [Bluella: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Blues] on the pablo records label.
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06:38 PM- pas/cal / what happened to the sands [oh honey, we're ridiculous] on the le grand magistry label. bouncy pop.
06:35 PM- boris / statement [smile] on the southern lord label.
06:32 PM- of montreal / suffer for fashion [hissing fauna, are you the destroyer?] on the polyvinyl label.
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06:25 PM- the dorkestra / electo-a-go-go [merry tales and fractured melodies] on the cocosolidciti label.
06:22 PM- piet van meren / soul punch [cinemaphonic 2: soul punch] on the motel records label.
06:20 PM- the like young / dont know when to stop [so serious] on the parasol label.
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06:17 PM- angola prisoner’s blues / i’m still in love with you [angola prisoner's blues] on the arhoolie label.
06:14 PM- price, connie / tell me something feat aloe blacc [tell me something] on the ubiquity label.
06:12 PM- pavement / two states [slanted and enchanted] on the matador label.
06:07 PM- bee vs. moth / doom equity [soundhorn] on the aggraveire music label.
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06:03 PM- baaba maal / baaba [baayo] on the mango records label.
05:57 PM- linus pauling quartet / la tapatia [c6h8o6] on the september gurls label.
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05:52 PM- front 242 / headhunter v3.0 [s/t] on the epic label.
05:46 PM- axa hour of dorableu / gashed and bloodletted [clones of eros] on the fire museum label.
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Your Kindness Left Him Speechless

On Friday I presented a check to our patient on behalf of everyone who donated to help his family recover from the loss of their home in a fire. The final total donated through the ChipIn page was $1605 after PayPal removed their fees (which enraged me but I didn’t know another way to collect funds). The fee for the cashier’s check was $6, so I handed over a check for $1600.

I wish I had a video that captured his face when he saw the amount! He was truly in disbelief. He just muttered “Oh my! Oh my!”, his eyes asking us if this was real. His study manager and I were giggling like little kids we were so giddy. I then told him that more money was coming from the Frozen Pea Fund. At this point I think he was struggling to maintain his composure, which got me all choked up, I admit it He couldn’t thank you enough!

He had been coming in for treatment every day last week and I could see that he was exhausted. On top of that, he had to come alone that day. I know what you did not only made that day more bearable for him, but it probably made his entire week! Or month!

You did such a wonderful and kind thing and I’m so proud to be associated with you all. My heart is bursting. Thank you so much!

Cut Paper Art: Alien Flower Receives Signal From The Mothership

Alien Flower

Originally uploaded by drmiggy

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a chance to do this. I really like the back lighting effect on this one. I’m still trying to find the best adhesive for different layers because as you can imagine the small delicate pieces are hard to manipulate and tear easily. I think I might construct little displays with back lighting for some of these pieces.

The Kindness of Strangers Is A Powerful Thing

A little over a week ago, I told you about a family in need of your help, and sent out a plea on Twitter. I was not prepared for the generous outpouring of donations and sympathy for people you never even met and knew very little about. The ChipIn page I created received a whopping $1166 in donations in a week. People linked to the page and added the widget in their blogs. One generous Twitterer pledged to match the donations of all his Twitter followers, a total of almost $500. But that’s not all. The Frozen Pea Fund folks picked up the story on Twitter and will donate an additional $500 to the family. So the grand total will be about $2200! I meet with the family next week when they come for treatment to give them the funds. I will definitely post something about it.

I am overwhelmed by this response. I thought perhaps I would collect a few $5-10 donations just to help them get some groceries, but never did I imagine that the Twitter community and the blogosphere would step up like you did. Since I started tweeting in October I have truly enjoyed my interactions in the community. I always knew you were kind people and I’m so proud to be surrounded by you. You could have easily ignored my tweet, but instead you put your arms around this family. You showed them that no matter how dark things get there are people, many, many people out there who care and are willing to help. The money will absolutely help this family. However, I think the generosity of strangers will strengthen them for much longer and enrich their lives in a way that money cannot. Thank you all!

Cancer Patient Who Lost Everything In A House Fire, Please Help!

One of our patients, a resident here in Houston with Stage 4 cancer, arrived for treatment last week and mentioned that he lost everything in a house fire. To make matters worse what he and his family did salvage from the fire they left in their car, which was broken into while staying at a hotel. He is a lovely man whom we all adore and my coworkers are trying to raise some money to help him rebuild. You can imagine how hard it is to deal with cancer when you have all of your comforts, but now this man truly needs our help.

I am creating a ChipIn page until Friday May 23. If you are moved to help this man and his family please consider donating whatever you can manage. We will pool all the funds and get a Visa gift card that they can spend on whatever they need.

I purposely left out details because I don’t want to violate this patient’s privacy rights. I’m counting on your trust in me on this, but I promise I won’t disappoint you. I will keep you updated on the family through this blog.

Breast Cancer Tumor Growth Faster in Younger Women, But Getting Annual Mammograms is Harder

A recent study of women ages 50-69 diagnosed with breast cancer shows that although the risk of being diagnosed with cancer is lower in younger women, if diagnosed the tumor growth rate is faster. On the average tumors double in size every 1.7 years, increasing with the woman’s age. If the trend uncovered by this study extrapolates to women younger than 50, it provides a strong argument that yearly mammograms should be the guideline for them as well. The American Cancer Society recommends yearly mammograms for women 40 and up, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to start getting annual mammograms at 35, particularly if you have risk factors for breast cancer. There is no question that early detection is the key to successful treatment of breast cancer. However, if you are under a certain age and have a mammogram you may find yourself holding the bill, even if you have insurance.

I may have found a way around this dilemma. Recently I went to see my doctor because I was having pain in my breast. I know that pain can be a symptom of breast cancer, but usually it isn’t. Given the nature of my work and my proclivity for hypochondria, you can just imagine what I convinced myself of. I just wanted to be sure I was OK. According to my doc everything appears normal, but she suggested I get a mammogram to give myself peace of mind. She wrote me an order and I am scheduling it this week. Because I visited her with a symptom, my mammogram will be considered a “screening” procedure, and I may not have to foot the bill. I’ll post again after the procedure and let you know what happens.